scholarly journals Epigenetic selection and the DNA methylation signatures of adverse prenatal environments

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elmar W Tobi ◽  
Joost van den Heuvel ◽  
Bas J. Zwaan ◽  
L.H. Lumey ◽  
Bastiaan T. Heijmans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Early Embryo ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Epigenetic Reprogramming ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽  
Physiological Changes ◽  
Prenatally Exposed ◽  
Offspring Health ◽  
Plastic Responses

AbstractMaternal adversity is associated with long-term physiological changes in offspring. These are believed to be mediated through epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation (DNAm). Changes in DNAm are often interpreted as damage or as part of plastic responses of the embryo. We propose that selection on stochastic DNAm differences generated during epigenetic reprogramming after fertilization contributes to the effects of maternal adversity on DNAm. Using a mathematical model of epigenetic reprogramming in the early embryo we predict that this “epigenetic selection” will generate a characteristic reduction in variance of DNAm at selected loci in populations exposed to maternal adversity. We tested this prediction using DNAm data from a human cohort prenatally exposed to the Dutch Famine and confirmed the reduction in DNAm variance, suggesting that epigenetic selection may have occurred. Epigenetic selection should be considered as a possible mechanism linking adversity in pregnancy to offspring health and may have implications for the likely effectiveness of intervention strategies.

scholarly journals Epigenetic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Ünal
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Causal Link ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Laboratory Animals ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽  
Social Stressors ◽  
Social Adversity

Lately, a brand-new studies agenda emphasizing interactions between societal elements and wellness has emerged. The phrase social determinant of health and fitness typically refers to any nonmedical element directly effecting health, including behaviors, knowledge, attitudes, and values. Status of health is adversely and strongly impacted throughout the life span by social disadvantages. Epigenetic mechanisms are implicated in the processes through which social stressors erode health in humans and other animals. Research in epigenetics suggests that alterations in DNA methylation might offer a temporary link between interpersonal adversity and wellness disparity. Likewise, accelerated loss in telomeres is extremely correlated not only with chronic and social stress but also aging. Therefore, it may provide a link between the various physiological events associated with health inequalities. Research in epigenetics indicates that alterations in DNA methylation may provide a causal link between social adversity and health disparity. Additionally, these experimental paradigms have yielded insights into the potential role of epigenetic mechanisms in mediating the effects of the environment on human development and indicate that consideration of the sensitivity of laboratory animals to environmental cues may be an important factor in predicting long-term health and welfare.

scholarly journals Early Embryo Exposure to Assisted Reproductive Manipulation Induced Subtle Changes in Liver Epigenetics with No Apparent Negative Health Consequences in Rabbit

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (18) ◽  
pp. 9716
Author(s):  
Ximo García-Domínguez ◽  
Gianfranco Diretto ◽  
David S. Peñaranda ◽  
Sarah Frusciante ◽  
Victor García-Carpintero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Lipid Metabolism ◽  
Rabbit Model ◽  
Early Embryo ◽  
Multiple Ovulation ◽  
Metabolic Outcomes ◽  
Embryonic Exposure ◽  
Long Term Effect ◽  
Epigenetic Events

Embryo manipulation is a requisite step in assisted reproductive technology (ART). Therefore, it is of great necessity to appraise the safety of ART and investigate the long-term effect, including lipid metabolism, on ART-conceived offspring. Augmenting our ART rabbit model to investigate lipid metabolic outcomes in offspring longitudinally, we detected variations in hepatic DNA methylation ART offspring in the F3 generation for embryonic exposure (multiple ovulation, vitrification and embryo transfer). Through adult liver metabolomics and proteomics, we identified changes mainly related to lipid metabolism (e.g., polyunsaturated fatty acids, steroids, steroid hormone). We also found that DNA methylation analysis was linked to changes in lipid metabolism and apoptosis genes. Nevertheless, these differences did not apparently alter the general health status. Thus, our findings suggest that ART is likely to be a player in embryo epigenetic events related to hepatic homeostasis alteration in adulthood.

scholarly journals Epigenetic Mechanisms of Paternal Stress in Offspring Development and Diseases

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Xingyun Xu ◽  
Zhigang Miao ◽  
Miao Sun ◽  
Bo Wan
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Histone Modification ◽  
Epidemiological Study ◽  
Noncoding Rna ◽  
Sperm Cell ◽  
Biological Function ◽  
Rna Expression ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽  
Paternal Stress ◽  
Offspring Health

The major biological function of the sperm cell is to transmit the paternal genetic and epigenetic information to the embryo as well as the following offspring. Sperm has a unique epigenome. An increasing body of epidemiological study supports that paternal stress induced by environmental exposures and lifestyle can modulate the sperm epigenome (including histone modification, DNA methylation, and noncoding RNA expression), sperm-egg fusion, embryo development, and offspring health. Based on the existing literature, we have summarized the paternal exposure on sperm epigenome along with the representative phenotypes of offspring and the possible mechanism involved.

Multidisciplinary Evidence to Treat Bilingual Individuals with Aphasia

2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 66-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
José G. Centeno
Keyword(s):  
Stroke Rehabilitation ◽  
Culturally Diverse ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Clinical Procedures ◽  
Bilingual Speakers ◽  
Aphasic Clients

Abstract The steady increase in linguistic and cultural diversity in the country, including the number of bilingual speakers, has been predicted to continue. Minorities are expected to be the majority by 2042. Strokes, the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of long-term disability in the U.S., are quite prevalent in racial and ethnic minorities, so population estimates underscore the imperative need to develop valid clinical procedures to serve the predicted increase in linguistically and culturally diverse bilingual adults with aphasia in post-stroke rehabilitation. Bilingualism is a complex phenomenon that interconnects culture, cognition, and language; thus, as aphasia is a social phenomenon, treatment of bilingual aphasic persons would benefit from conceptual frameworks that exploit the culture-cognition-language interaction in ways that maximize both linguistic and communicative improvement leading to social re-adaptation. This paper discusses a multidisciplinary evidence-based approach to develop ecologically-valid treatment strategies for bilingual aphasic individuals. Content aims to spark practitioners' interest to explore conceptually broad intervention strategies beyond strictly linguistic domains that would facilitate linguistic gains, communicative interactions, and social functioning. This paper largely emphasizes Spanish-English individuals in the United States. Practitioners, however, are advised to adapt the proposed principles to the unique backgrounds of other bilingual aphasic clients.

Epigenetic Mechanisms of Maternal Dietary Protein and Amino Acids Affecting Growth and Development of Offspring

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 727-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Wu ◽  
Zhibin Cheng ◽  
Yueyu Bai ◽  
Xi Ma
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Dietary Protein ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Biological Macromolecules ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽  
Maternal Circulation ◽  
Energy Processing ◽  
Living Organisms

Nutrients can regulate metabolic activities of living organisms through epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modification, and RNA regulation. Since the nutrients required for early embryos and postpartum lactation are derived in whole or in part from maternal and lactating nutrition, the maternal nutritional level affects the growth and development of fetus and creates a profound relationship between disease development and early environmental exposure in the offspring’s later life. Protein is one of the most important biological macromolecules, involved in almost every process of life, such as information transmission, energy processing and material metabolism. Maternal protein intake levels may affect the integrity of the fetal genome and alter DNA methylation and gene expression. Most amino acids are supplied to the fetus from the maternal circulation through active transport of placenta. Some amino acids, such as methionine, as dietary methyl donor, play an important role in DNA methylation and body’s one-carbon metabolism. The purpose of this review is to describe effects of maternal dietary protein and amino acid intake on fetal and neonatal growth and development through epigenetic mechanisms, with examples in humans and animals.

Epigenetics, Nutrition, Disease and Drug Development

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 386-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Lundstrom
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Rna Interference ◽  
Nutritional Requirements ◽  
Signal Pathways ◽  
Disease Development ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽  
Epigenetic Changes ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Novel Drug

Epigenetic mechanisms comprising of DNA methylation, histone modifications and gene silencing by RNA interference have been strongly linked to the development and progression of various diseases. These findings have triggered research on epigenetic functions and signal pathways as targets for novel drug discovery. Dietary intake has also presented significant influence on human health and disease development and nutritional modifications have proven important in prevention, but also the treatment of disease. Moreover, a strong link between nutrition and epigenetic changes has been established. Therefore, in attempts to develop novel safer and more efficacious drugs, both nutritional requirements and epigenetic mechanisms need to be addressed.

PO-0834 Long-term Developmental Outcome Of Children Prenatally Exposed To Antiepileptic Drugs

2014 ◽  
Vol 99 (Suppl 2) ◽  
pp. A526.3-A526 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Gogatishvili ◽  
T Ediberidze ◽  
G Lomidze ◽  
N Tatishvili ◽  
S Kasradze
Keyword(s):  
Antiepileptic Drugs ◽  
Developmental Outcome ◽  
Prenatally Exposed

scholarly journals New Aspects of the Epigenetics of Pancreatic Carcinogenesis

Epigenomes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Murat Toruner ◽  
Martin E. Fernandez-Zapico ◽  
Christopher L. Pin
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Survival Rate ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽  
Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Cancer Epigenetics ◽  
Pancreatic Carcinogenesis ◽  
New Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Environmental Events ◽  
Underlying Pathogenesis

Pancreatic cancer remains among the deadliest forms of cancer with a 5 year survival rate less than 10%. With increasing numbers being observed, there is an urgent need to elucidate the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer. While both contribute to disease progression, neither genetic nor environmental factors completely explain susceptibility or pathogenesis. Defining the links between genetic and environmental events represents an opportunity to understand the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer. Epigenetics, the study of mitotically heritable changes in genome function without a change in nucleotide sequence, is an emerging field of research in pancreatic cancer. The main epigenetic mechanisms include DNA methylation, histone modifications and RNA interference, all of which are altered by changes to the environment. Epigenetic mechanisms are being investigated to clarify the underlying pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer including an increasing number of studies examining the role as possible diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. These mechanisms also provide targets for promising new therapeutic approaches for this devastating malignancy.

scholarly journals Advancement in long-distance bird migration through individual plasticity in departure

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse R. Conklin ◽  
Simeon Lisovski ◽  
Phil F. Battley
Keyword(s):  
Bird Migration ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Breeding Site ◽  
Environmental Constraints ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Direct Observations ◽  
Breeding Resources ◽  
Plastic Responses

AbstractGlobally, bird migration is occurring earlier in the year, consistent with climate-related changes in breeding resources. Although often attributed to phenotypic plasticity, there is no clear demonstration of long-term population advancement in avian migration through individual plasticity. Using direct observations of bar-tailed godwits (Limosa lapponica) departing New Zealand on a 16,000-km journey to Alaska, we show that migration advanced by six days during 2008–2020, and that within-individual advancement was sufficient to explain this population-level change. However, in individuals tracked for the entire migration (50 total tracks of 36 individuals), earlier departure did not lead to earlier arrival or breeding in Alaska, due to prolonged stopovers in Asia. Moreover, changes in breeding-site phenology varied across Alaska, but were not reflected in within-population differences in advancement of migratory departure. We demonstrate that plastic responses can drive population-level changes in timing of long-distance migration, but also that behavioral and environmental constraints en route may yet limit adaptive responses to global change.

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